Camera lenses.

Soon after I got my first Nikon digital SLR kit, I got my first Nikon prime lens. That was the Nikon 35mm lens made for APS-C sensors. Or as Nikon designates them, "DX". What I didn't know at the time was that the lens was going to change my perspective on photography. Was it for the better?

Most of my friends, and most of the professional photographers that I meet, use zoom lenses. Zoom lenses allow the photographer to attach one lens to his camera and change the focal length to either zoom in for a close up shot or to zoom out for a wider angle shot. Prime lenses simply don't zoom. If you are using a prime lens and you want a close up shot you have to move closer to your subject. You want a wider angle shot? Move farther away.

If you read all of the lens tests, reviews and personal opinions. Well, then you would never buy a lens. Lenses are all very similar to my golf game. Full of flaws. On the other hand. They almost all perform well in the right hands. Those will be the hands that have taken the time to learn each lens they use. Which every photographer should do with all of their equipment. So I say buy and use whatever will make you happy.

 So what makes me happy? I am primarily a landscape photographer. I don't need zoom lenses. I can usually move my feet to put the camera where I want it with the proper prime lens attached. For me they are easier to learn how to use effectively. And they afford me the opportunity to get a fantastic photo for a lot less money than a professional grade zoom lens costs.

That first 35mm lens taught me something that I had never realized. I can see the world in different focal lengths. If I attach a lens to my camera I can see everything in front of me in that focal length. I can look at a scene and decide how I want to capture it. Is it best with a wide shot or up close? I put on the lens of choice and move to compose my photo. It's a small part of my process. But it is one of my favorite parts.

I spent some time this past month selling some of my DX lenses. I did it to finance the purchase of a couple of new lenses for my kit. Yes. They are both prime lenses. And they fill gaps in my focal lengths. One of the lenses I sold was the original 35mm. I was a little sad to see it go. I think it changed my life for the better.

Blog updates.

First of all, if you haven't read any of my previous blog entries stop right here. Wait! Don't leave my blog. Go back and read some of my previous entries so you know what I am talking about. In the mean time, here is an update on some of the things I have talked about in the past.

Dave: Dave is my tripod. No,  I didn't name him. The company that made him, 3 Legged Thing, named him. I promised an update after I had used him for a while. Dave's been on a couple of trips with me. And he performs better than expected. Very stable. Durable enough to make the trips. I've carried him on airplanes and packed him in my luggage. He fits well in both the overhead bin and in my suitcase. He's been on the beach. I have taken him apart and cleaned him right in my kitchen. Dave is my go to guy right now. Highly recommended. Warning: Make sure you discuss where you clean him with your spouse before you begin. Some wives may not be happy about you getting sand all over their kitchen.

Filling the bag: Dave was on my list of things to acquire. Now that I have him I have added another lens to the list. While visiting a friend this year I got a chance to use his Nikkor AF 35mm f/2 lens. While the reviews for this lens don't paint it as a stellar performer I thought it was brilliant. One of my favorite landscape shots of the trip was taken with this lens. This lens will probably replace a Nikkor AF-S DX Micro 40mm f/1.8 that currently travels mounted to my D7000. It also has the honor of being the only DX lens in my kit. With a retail price of about $360US for the 35mm how can you go wrong?

Edit: I have edited this to remove Elements from the line that Adobe is using in their Creative Cloud line. It is Photoshop. Photoshop Elements is still available for single license purchase at this time.

I've been away from home for a few weeks so it seems I am a little behind with my thoughts here. As I stay home and occupy my time in my day job it is summer here in Arizona. That makes it harder to go out and shoot the landscapes I love so much. Stay tuned. There will be more soon.

Why can't I take it with me?

This week I have been packing my photography equipment. I'm preparing to go to Colorado. A friend of mine is retiring from the Army after 22 years. I'm excited to see him. I'm excited to meet his family and other friends. I'm very excited that he will no longer be in harms way. And I am also excited because we will be staying in the shadows of Pike's Peak. Lot's of clouds and mountains and water. In other words, a lot of landscapes just waiting to be photographed. So what do I take with me?

My first reaction was to empty my storage and pack everything. Why not? I'm driving. I have plenty of space in the car. Why can't I take it with me? What if I need it while I am there?

If you read any of the photography forums you will regularly run across people asking questions about what camera body and lenses they should take with them to specific locations. Good solid questions for those without the experience in certain environments and situations. The difference is that I feel that I have been there. I know what equipment I want in most landscape situations. I was asking myself the wrong question.

As I looked at each piece I was packing I began to ask myself a different question. Why should I take it? If I don't use it here I am probably not going to use it there either. Everything went back in the closet. I'm taking the lenses that I know I want to use. My old friends. I mix and match them on the two bodies that I love. They are all that I need.

So I am all packed and ready to go. But as I write this I begin to wonder why I even keep the things I don't use. Maybe I will think about that when I get back. It's not like they are going anywhere.

Meteors. Sunrises. And changing plans.

The Lyrid Meteor showers are in town everyone. Ever since I was a teenager I have loved watching the sky and seeing the meteors. My favorite time of year is during the Perseids in August. This year they peak on August 11th and 12th. But here in April we have the Lyrids. They peak tonight. I have to go work at my day job tomorrow so I decided to go out last night and try to capture one.

There were several problems with going out last night. First was my daughter's prom. It was last night and she and her friends had asked me to take photos. They weren't scheduled to get home until 12:30. That worked out okay. The moon was the next problem. It was up and bright and scheduled to set at 3:00 AM. That made 3:00 AM to 4:00 AM the best time to view the meteor shower. So my plan was to go to Lake Pleasant and find a high spot for meteors, then go to the lake shore for the sunrise.

For the meteors I chose my 24mm lens. I also decided that the Milky Way galaxy was close enough to the source of the meteors that I wanted to try and capture it with a meteor. So I concentrated on long exposures centered on the Milky Way. I saw probably 12 or 15 meteors last night. Only one of them was in my view finder. Luckily it was while the shutter was open. My family is especially happy with this photo because they didn't have to endure the night with me.

 Once the sun began to come up enough to make the stars appear less bright I packed everything up and set out for the lake. Without any clouds in the sky I decided to look for an alternative photo. The sky promised to be orange in the east as the sun rose. I have been waiting for the right opportunity to get a saguaro cactus in silhouette with a sunrise or sunset. So I rushed out to a nearby saguaro forest that I know is fairly open facing east. I grabbed the camera and tripod and went into the forest to find the right giant.

I had a plan when I left the house last night. Plans don't always work out. Sometimes you have to be flexible and take what the earth is willing to give you. I think it was a pretty successful morning.

You can see the full sized photos on flickr at: M. Chris Brandt's Photography.

You may also follow me on Facebook at: M. Chris Brandt's Photography

Filling the bag.

I recently wrote on my Facebook page that I had read a book in which the author had been told to always have something to want. I wish I could find the book now and give him proper credit. But I haven't been able to locate it. Odd since I still own almost every book I have bought over the past 30 years. On Facebook I asked what it was that my friends wanted. I received some very good answers. Most were much more broad than I had expected. Maybe that's because I know exactly what I want.

I have spent a lot of time getting my photography kit set up just the way I want it. There are currently three things left to acquire to make the kit perfect in my mind. I hope to have them all before the end of the year. After that I am not sure what to do. It's possible that my subconscious made me ask the question of my friends so that I could use some of their ideas. I need something else to want. For now, this is my list. In order of importance to me.

1. Travel tripod.

My every day tripod is too big to take on a trip with me. I use an Induro tripod that I like very much. It's just doesn't fit in a normal sized suitcase. So now when I travel it stays home. Loving landscapes and night photography I just can't work without a tripod. After about two years of research I have finally decided what I had to have in a travel tripod. First it has to be small. I don't care if it is light. I just want small. But I also want strong. In today's market tripods typically come with either carbon fiber legs, or magnesium allow. Carbon fiber is lighter but magnesium alloy is stronger. I ended up deciding on a fairly new British company called 3 Legged Thing. They name their systems after rock stars and I chose Dave. It will hold up to 26 pounds (the included ball head is rated for 88 pounds) and folds up to about 16.7 inches. I was warned about British engineering. But I am taking a gamble on them anyway. You can find Dave here...

3 Legged Thing's Dave

2. One more lens.

Really, just one more. At least that is what I tell my wife every time I ask for another lens. I shoot almost exclusively prime lenses. I tend to see the world in that focal length when I do that. But I have a big gap between 85mm and 300mm. I have friends with 105mm and 135mm lenses which I have intermittently drooled over. But there is still a gap. And I don't want to carry 27 lenses. So I decided to change it up a little and add a telephoto zoom lens to the kit. Nikon has been making a 80-200mm F/2.8 for, well, forever. This version currently sell since 1997. It's a professional lens without the benefit of vibration reduction (VR). The most recent version is still built like it was in 1997 and it is a tank. Metal, large and heavy. But by all accounts it is sharp. And for now, the last lens I need. You can check it out here...

Nikon's AF-Zoom 80-200mm F/2.8D ED

3. Ball head.

I mentioned earlier that I use an Induro tripod for my daily photography. A friend of mine recommended Induro after he had received one as a gift. I believe from his sister. Anyway, I bought Induro's Adventure Series AKB2 tripod. The tripod comes with a ball head and a nice carry case to protect it. I have used and abused it. I love the legs, but as my talent and camera have grown I find I need a little more precision in the ball head. What else would I put on an Induro tripod but an Induro head? The BHD2 head was made to fit my legs. It was also made to handle almost 40 pounds of camera/lens. More than I can currently put on it. And the price is great. If I am going back to Induro that should tell you something. I expect the same quality that I have seen in my current system. Check out the Induro line-up here...

Induro Tripods

So what is the next thing to want? I don't know yet. Maybe what I will want is something to want. What do you think?

You can see some of my photos on Facebook at M. Chris Brandt's Photography or on flickr at M. Chris Brandt

The story.

Lake Pleasant, Arizona

I read a blog recently written by a fairly new photographer who was also new to hiking. Her new passions were all about landscape photography. I can understand that. Landscape photos are my favorites as well. Witnessing images like the one above are what it's all about for me. Not only does it get me back out in nature sometimes, it also allows me to be there when nature is at it's most beautiful state.

Most of the time there is a little more to it than just being there. Right? Not so fast. First you have to know where to go, then you have to get there. I took the photo above during a trip to scout for locations. I had used Google Earth to pick a point that I thought might give me a great view during the sunrise.I even decided on which trails I needed to use to get there. I left my house and got to the trail long before sunrise. This is where things get interesting.

Hiking, anywhere can be a dangerous thing to do. Add in a little pre-dawn darkness and it could be deadly. Before I attempted this hike in the dark I spent years getting to know the environment I was living in. It can be steep. It is always rocky. And even if you never see one of the many arthropods, reptiles or mammals that inhabit the desert there are plenty of other things that can trip, prick or otherwise make you bleed. Except in very rare occasions I carry a very good flashlight. When I leave home the batteries are always fresh. When I have the flashlight with me I also have a fully charged set of replacement batteries.

Once you've learned how to take care of yourself, and your equipment. Don't forget to learn how to take care of your surroundings. My goal is to capture and document the world as it is. I don't want to change it or make it more beautiful. I just want to leave it as I found it. I learned a long time ago that a good news reporter never wants to be a part of the story. They simply want to bring the story to us. I bring you the world as I found it. Unaltered by me. The story? Well, that's mine.

Lessons learned. Again!

I've been looking forward to this weekend for quite some time. To start with, I am home. High School and Junior High School basketball seasons are over. And except for a little paperwork I don't have to work this weekend. So as the week wound down yesterday I packed the essentials in my trusty camera backpack and headed out. Three days of photographic bliss. Almost.

I've been hiking for about forty years. It started in the Boy Scouts where I learned to be prepared. Their motto. I embraced it. I am always prepared. So as I decided on equipment to take last night, and which backpack to carry it in, I was satisfied that I was ready. No. Prepared! Within two hundred yards of my car I realized that I wasn't prepared. I had forgotten an essential piece of equipment for a photographer that was hiking out on a trail to catch a sunset. A flashlight. Forty years ago I carried a flashlight, but all Boy Scouts know the pride of hiking through the woods with no light to guide them. I also carried one in the Army. But for tactical reasons we seldom used them. Last night as I crawled over basketball sized rocks in my trail to the lakeside, I realized that I was just a little too old to do that at night without a light. I also realized that I had not told anyone where I was going. Once the sun went down I would be blind. And the search party wasn't coming. I had visions of a stubbed toe turning into a broken face, or elbow. Me lying there, moaning, hoping some hiker would find me on this obscure trail that I found on Google Maps. Lesson learned, buy another flashlight. Put one in each backpack and leave it there. The light was on my mind all evening and I left the lake earlier than I wanted to so I could make it off of the trail before it got dark.

I live in the desert. The Sonoran Desert. I'm surrounded by giant saguaro cactus, among other varieties that may be smaller but still prickly. So when I get around a body of water larger than my pool I am entranced. The sun or moon reflecting off of the water slowly easing the tensions of the week. When I got to my selected spot last night I set up my tripod. Took a few pictures. Checked my composition. Then sat down to enjoy a semi-cold soda that I had brought with me. Out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of something, an old water line. Piles of driftwood at the level the lake once rose to. As I turned to look at it closer I noticed a big beautiful hill full of saguaro cactus. Glowing orange. I tried to adjust and take a few photos but the water held my attention. Lesson learned, turn around. I should have done a 360 once I got to my location. While I enjoyed my little lakeside break I would have been even happier capturing the hill with a better composition.

While I was setting up my tripod last night I took special care to select good flat and solid places for it's feet. The limestone rocks covering the hill weren't friendly to tripod legs. As I was turning around to enjoy the view of the saguaro filled hill I learned my next lesson. I am always very careful when I move around my tripod. Deliberately moving my feet so they won't come into contact with the legs. I had already watched this tripod, with my brand new camera and a very long lens, hit my cool deck. I was in my back yard taking some photos of the moon. My wife came outside to say hello so I sat with her for a few minutes. She also brought our very old, and apparently very blind, dog. Pepper ran through the legs of the tripod. Before you could yell "fetch", the tripod and camera were set in motion. Have you ever seen a movie where the action occurs in slow motion? My camera hit the deck in slow motion. Me yelling a long and deep "nooooooooo". At impact time rushed to catch up as the lens and camera separated from each other at the speed of light. Parts scattering across around the yard. Lessons learned that night, anchor your tripod and insure your equipment. That was two years ago. Last night, as I turned to look at the beautiful, glowing hill, I noticed that my camera was moving. Immediately my brain knows that this object that I cherish is inanimate. Self propulsion is impossible. With no comprehension of the laws of physics, my camera had set out to smash itself upon the rocks. I willed my hands to move into the path of movement, taking care not to hit the tripod and rush the process of destruction. I stopped it. All is well. I had been too lazy to anchor the tripod. And I almost payed for it. But the real lesson I learned, if you set your tripod up on a rock no bigger than a dinner plate, take care not to step on that rock.

I love being outside. Being a photographer takes me to some beautiful places. I once read a blog that another photographer had written stating that the best photos are always taken within one hundred yards of the road. No hiking required. I think that there is something to be said for getting away from all of the other photographers. So get out there. Take a little hike into the back country. It's good for your heart, and good for your soul. Just remember to take a flashlight.